Astro Forecast 8.20.24: Welcome to the Celestial Thunderdome
The full moon was pissy, the sun is frustrated, and the only planets not trying to crack each other in the ribs this week are Neptune and Pluto. Grab the popcorn.
What is happening?!
An oddly muted Leo season comes to a close this week, and we should all pour one out for the lions in our midst; they really weren’t able to get as vivacious and cranked as late summer normally allows. Unprecedented world events molest our brains at an increasingly speedy clip in 2024, which has shunted leonine things like self-expression, indulgence, and leisure to the back burner of our lives. Yes, some of us may still have vacationed, tanned, clubbed topless, etc., but even hedonism has been dulled with a patina of anxiety for many. So much is happening that astrologers will spend the rest of our lives unraveling this celestial Gordian knot in an attempt to determine if, how, and when it affects what Jung calls “the collective unconscious”. In layman’s terms, are we mirroring the planets, or are they mirroring us?
When I was young, I spent lot of time imagining how I would weather chaotic historical moments like the fall of Rome, the Black Plague, the French Revolution, or The Holocaust. Would I be a casualty, a survivor, or a victor? What must it have felt like, to be cleaning a hovel in the slums of Carthage before hearing distant hoofbeats and grabbing the nearest child to run for your lives out of a burning inferno? Or to be one of thousands cheering for aristocratic blood at the foot of Madam la Guillotine? Would I be egging on the bloodshed, or decrying it?
It isn’t hyperbolic to compare 2024 with other dire, historic moments; we are watching genocide happen in one part of the world, famine in other parts of the world, and a sneaky sidestep towards oligarchic fascism in several established democracies. Nations with nuclear weapons are engaging in unabashed land grabs, and us chumps at the bottom are expected to suck it up and keep sending emails for money, slinging coffee for money, or dealing with other people’s garbage for money. We might all be vaporized tomorrow, but the trash isn’t going to take itself out, amirite?
Globally, we have a real nasty problem with economic inequality that more and more of the citizenry are noticing, making people violent and prickly in a generalized sort of fashion - a quick glance at the headlines or socials will confirm that we are in the middle of a generational war, a cultural war, a gender war, and a class war. (The drug war dipped out a while ago, having graciously accepted victory once a pot shop sprouted on every corner in most major blue American cities. When political candidates and their offspring campaign with visible coke nose, I think we can all agree; the drugs won.)
So. We are existing in a world of chaos. The Aquarius moon is just past full and squaring Uranus, which will shine a spotlight on everything old and decrepit in our society that needs to be updated. Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn are all in uncertain, mutable signs, madly shoving each other for dominance, while Pluto is off in a closet, laughing darkly and clacking skeletal bones made from previous generations. Irritatingly, Mars is being his worst self in Leo and Mercury is still. In. Retrograde. Mercury is retrograding so hard, in fact, that we now know more dark things about American Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance than any of us ever wanted to know in our lives. We will not be able to bleach our brains free of J.D. Vance and his cringey, horrifying existence for centuries, I fear, so insidious is the imprint of Mercury and his viral excavation of past misdeeds.
It would seem the Milky Way is a hot mess in much the same way humans are; what is beautiful from a distance is often chaos when we move closer.
The only thing anyone can say with certainty right now is that we are in transition as a species - we are leaving the age of industry and entering the age of information. Pluto kicked us into it when he entered Aquarius, an air sign that loves the idea of humanity a bit more than it loves actual humanity. Jupiter, too, has shifted to air and is bringing a Gemini’s love of duality and information sharing. The speed and accuracy with which any individual can access data from distant parts of the world, in real time, is unprecedented for our species, and it is undoubtedly changing us. (It will definitely change J.D. Vance.)The Information Age is altering our brains, our social lives, our bodies, our culture, and our destiny as Mercury, chaos agent and dubious messenger, drowns us with information 24 hours a day, sans discernment or curation. When we find ourselves wondering why everything feels so strange and unsettling right now, it behooves us to remember the bare bones of humankind’s past. There are no history books to assuage us with precedence for this moment - we have, quite literally, never done this before.
Why would this affect me?
For now, let’s focus on the most acute, pressing astrology - our Aquarius full moon. Full moons of any stripe make people feel like ants under a magnifying glass, and for good reason; they are a culmination of two weeks worth of both conscious and subconscious toil and desires. A full moon illuminated the darkness for ancient people, allowing them to peer into corners and assess how far things have come since the total, bewildering nighttime darkness of a new moon. Without electricity, the proximity and power of our craggy satellite was inescapable, which explains the astrological association of our physical state and the moon’s condition; people could see a path to fruitfulness and culmination under her big, bright gaze.
This particular moon is ruled by Saturn because she is full in Saturn’s house of Aquarius. However, she is also squared to Uranus, who is the modern, outer planet ruler to Aquarius, and she is also being illuminated by a sun in Leo. The tension with this moon is between individual ego, represented by the charismatic, idealistic lion, and collective improvement, which is The Water Bearer’s entire raison d tre. Humans have been inching toward this precipice for some time now, perhaps since industrialization, as we ask ourselves, “What do I prioritize? My own comfort and safety? Or our collective survival? Are the needs of the many truly more important than the needs of the few?” This inquiry will hit hardest in a communal sense, possibly involving world politics, finances, or technology - all areas that Uranus, the big electric weirdo, likes to gum up and break.
This super moon could also hit personally, though, and I highly recommend checking in on any fixed sign friends to see if they’ve reached ‘dark-night-of-the-soul’ territory. It should be easy to spot; a Leo in a funk will do something drastic with their hair. Aquarian friends might be drunkenly, aggressively tutoring everybody at the neighborhood bar in quantum physics. A Taurus in distress will either have wolfed down a 5 gallon tub of ice cream OR they will embark on a Spartan juice cleanse, and if they are in a fugue state, you won’t be able to get in touch with Scorpio at all. The only place you will ever find a despairing Scorpio is in prison or their own grave.
Don’t feel left out if you are a mutable or cardinal sign, though - everyone will engage with this moon in some fashion or another, and we can narrow it down by looking at the house where Aquarius lands in each chart. Hellenistic, whole sign house astrology is far simpler than more modern systems like Placidus, and our ascendant, or rising sign, determines the ruler of each house; this means that when you read horoscopes by a Hellenistic astrologer, it is your Rising sign, not your sun sign, that will be the most accurate interpretation of whichever celestial transit is occurring. (Rising signs are determined by birth time, but many people cannot access such a thing with certainty, so it’s okay to read for your sun sign, too. There are no laws about astrology and you will not be graded for accuracy…yet.) So, what is everybody going be dealing with over the next 2 weeks as we wind down this Saturnine lunar cycle?
Aquarius: The current focus is your identity, and in some ways your purpose on this Earth, Aquarius. Have you subsumed important parts of your individual self in order to prioritize a nebulous ‘common good’? If so, you may experience tension or friction when it comes to more personalized desires. Perhaps it’s alright if, once in a while, you do things only because you enjoy them. You cannot energize the world without protecting your own unique energy.
Pisces: Spirituality and the subconscious might eat at you for a while, Pisces, as the moon illuminates all the places where we lack such things. Have you been feeling empty? Perhaps you are yearning for a deeper, faith-based connection to your community, or you’ve had weird, insightful dreams of late that are prompting metaphysical exploration. It’s alright to disappear for a while in order to sort it out, especially if you find yourself bummed and despairing over the state of the world.
Aries: You’re probably feeling oddly expansive, because if there is anything a Mars-ruled sign can deal with better than normal people, it is chaos and the threat of violence. This lunation is aimed at your 11th house of public affairs and community interactions, giving Aries a boost of communal empathy and public engagement with influential forces. By all means, dear Rams, telegraph your message if you are working for a common goal, but beware your tendency toward ego and combativeness - no one likes a blowhard.
Taurus: This Saturn-ruled moon is trained on your job, Taurus, and will expose tensions between your individual goals and the goals of your organization or team at large. You may even be having thoughts of a transition, particularly if you feel hamstrung in the development of your current role. Have you been mentoring others at the expense of your own ascension? If so, there may be a way to thread the needle between group success and personal achievement, but it isn’t going to magically occur - you have to say or do something different. I know, you hate that.
Gemini: Learning for the sake of learning is an admirable trait, Gemini, but at some point, people will wonder if you plan to narrow things down. Your 9th house of exploration could present new opportunities with this moon, but it may also introduce restrictive parameters that normally turn you off. The Twins among us may need to weigh a choice that promises new knowledge, like an exciting trip or scholastic program, but that requires negation of parallel opportunity, like a weekly book club or professional promotion. Yes, you are going to have to choose. The horror.
Cancer: The 8th house is a fearful place for many, but Crabs do alright here thanks to some mutual, shared qualities with Scorpio. This lunation is about karma for you, Cancer; your own, as well as that of people around you. It may be that a financial hit is coming for you or your partner, but there could also be the prospect of an inheritance or financial windfall…with strings attached, of course. The give and take between personal desire and communal connectivity will show up for you when it comes to shared resources, and you’ll probably need to compromise in order to avoid drama, so don’t go tearing off with Grandma Jean’s fortune just yet.
Leo: This is about tempering your outsized personality in order to better understand partners and loved ones. The 7th house is tough for Leo, because it inevitably requires you to think of yourself as only a small part of one solution instead of the entire burger with a side of fries that can solve everything just by being your fabulous self. This moon wants you to spend the next 2 weeks de-centering yourself and prioritizing what your partner and loved ones need. It can be liberating, I promise.
Virgo: Initially, you will be stoked about this moon, Virgo. It lands in your favorite place and wants to illuminate all the ways that your routines and systems improve. This diligence sounds great at first, but Virgo takes perfectionist shit way too far and too fast. Before you know it, you can’t leave your house without being miserably cowed by your inner critic; your outfit is terrible, you need a haircut, you should have packed a better lunch, etc. Don’t do this to yourself, Virgo - it will end up being counterproductive. You look fine.
Libra: This full moon lands in Libra’s 5th house of pleasure and creativity, and you may be presented with opportunities to work on a creative project or team with expansive effects. Some among you may be weighing the consequences of a family addition or contraction, i.e. new babies or kids going off to college. It’s alright to feel uncertain and conflicted; the way you find joy and passion in this world might have to shift to a different focus, and that’s okay.
Scorpio: Home life is on the brain now, you obsessive arachnids. Perhaps you’re finally fed up with the rickety stairs to your bedroom and want to remodel, or you have reached a breaking point when it comes to household routines and chores - whatever the case, domestic issues are grabbing you by the neck and demanding that something improve or change. Your already secretive nature is amenable to staying inside, so go ahead and focus your energy toward domestic improvements and relationships.
Sagittarius: While you normally yearn for more expansive and exotic pastures, Sagittarius can expect to feel the most friction and the most invigoration over the next few weeks with small friend groups and neighborhood jaunts. The Aquarius moon is posing a challenge to you, Sag - can you dedicate your enthusiasm for exploration to your neighbors, tenants, and close community? Can you be as interested in the local co-op as you are in, say, the Brazilian rainforest? Go ask your neighbor for a cup of sugar and strike up a chat, for godsakes.
Capricorn: This is your favorite thing Cap - your money and your stuff. Unfortunately, you can’t hide imbalance from this moon, as she is governed by your personal ruler as well, and Saturn is fully aware that you get mean and miserly when your possessions are threatened. It may be time to reflect on your dragon-ish tendency to hoard - what would the world look like if you used your financial prowess to enrich the entire community, instead of just yourself?
When do I have to deal with this?
8.19 - 9.2 - The “Not Everything is About You” Aquarius Lunation
Sun in Leo Qualities: Me, Me, Me, Me, Look at Me, Me
Moon in Aquarius Qualities: Us, Us, Us, Us, Us, Collective Equity, Us
Uranus in Taurus Qualities: I Don’t Care if it’s Me or Us, But These Value Systems Suck I Shall Destroy Them
Whether you are part of the fixed, mutable, or cardinal sign group, take the next couple of weeks to synthesize your desires for you with collective desires for us and adjust as needed to get the best outcome for both. Whatever Uranus has cooked up, we will have to face it together, because Donne was right; no man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main.
Cool, what does the Tarot say about this?
This Monday, 8.19, the 6 of Wires reversed indicated self-doubt, feelings of failure, and a possible shattering of illusions for certain elements among us who have been coasting for far too long on vibes and hot air. There is also a combativeness about reversed 6’s, because they inevitably shunt us back to 5, which is usually about fighting and losing.
The Lovers reversed shows us how difficult it is to be decisive when the information simply won’t stop updating on Tuesday, 8.20, indicating that we’ll probably need to wait for the air to clear before choosing a path. The companion pull of green aventurine might be urging everyone to work with what they currently have instead of branching out with new projects or contracts in order to save precious energy.
On Wednesday, 8.21, The Sun reversed will make us feel complete, lazy, and as though everything will be presented on a platter, which is dangerously complacent in this day and age. In fact, everything might not be as it seems, and diligence is still recommended lest we prop up unrealistic expectations for our future. Don’t give in to bad habits.
The 3 of Cups on Thursday, 8.22, shows us being folded into a family or loving team, one in which people offer help and support without provoking guilt or expecting anything in return. Moss Agate accompanies our proffered chalices, indicating a full heart at the end of today, even if our wallets are empty.
Page of Wands reversed exudes youthful energy for Friday, 8.23., one that lacks the maturity and focus to make any real strides toward our goals. We may also experience the negation of something passionately desired, either due to our own scattershot planning or a thorough re-assessment by external forces that finds us wanting. Lapis lazuli is a truth and communication stone, so perhaps we weren’t being completely honest about our progress.
Saturday, 8.24 brings us The Magician and a strong need to focus - tiger’s eye is a useful stone for narrowing goals and remaining on task. Mercury is associated with this major arcana, and they are forming a sextile with Mars today, infusing the general population with sharp tongues and quick minds. This is an auspicious moment for competition and debates, so don’t waste it arguing with online trolls. Engage in discussions and tasks that contribute to the greater good.
On Sunday, 8.25, the Eight of Cups continues this week’s process of sifting through mountains of bullshit in order to find the tiny grains of truth. Yuck. Sometimes the best way to do this is to determine, first and foremost, what we don’t believe. Our rejection can apply to collective notions, but it can also be aimed at individuals with whom we no longer like or agree. This minor arcana is the ultimate, “It’s not you, it’s me,” card, and a companion pull of black tourmaline hints at needing to separate ourselves in order to protect ourselves.
Visit @alectochaos on IG for the full, wordy breakdown and video of each card pull, and to get the jump on the Mon - Wed card pulls. If you are into that sort of thing.